Archive for the ‘DorobekInsider’ Category

These days we hearing about many things being delivered “as a service.” Recently, I got to moderate two days of discussions about something called mobility as a service [MaaS].

Sometimes called transportation as a service, the concept is an interesting one — as its core, it would reorient transportation around getting people from place to place, but opens up other modes of transportation above and beyond the car. Transportation consultant Jack Opiola had the best definition that I heard: “Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is the seamless, infinitely adaptable delivery of mobility, together with associated travel information, necessary ticketing and payment services, across all modes of transport.”

Why it matters: If you live anyplace where people want to live, transportation is difficult at best, and that’s on a good day. We are all impacted by it… and talk about it… and grouse about it. But it is such a unique eco-structure — EVERYBODY has an opinion on it… it is very political… and there is a ton of ‘why don’t they just…’ Furthermore, government is only one player among many players. But there are also broader impacts — on the Earth… on our bodies as we spend hours sitting in vehicles.

Some take-aways from the MaaS conference:

Transportation isn’t easy — This was my digest take away — transportation is just SO complex. One of the biggest challenges is… well, us… us and our cars. We love them. And we seem to be addicted to them… and sitting alone in them, seemingly regardless of how long it takes. It is the primary ways most people in the US get from point A to point B. But there are all other kinds of modes of transportation — bicycles, ride sharing/taxi hailing apps, scooters, pedestrians, transit like bus and rail. There are multitudes of options, but in the end, government organizations only control a portion of those methods. Therefore there is a real need for different organizations to work together.

One of the images used by transportation experts (h/t Robin Chase)

The challenges are real — One of the main discussion topics in any urban area is the commute. Roads are congested. This is particularly true in cities. While there is general agreement that new roads simply don’t solve transportation problems, for cities, in many cases, building new roads isn’t an option. Cities are also constrained because there simply isn’t space to construct new roads. Beyond that, the car has been detrimental to our health (Forget sitting at your desk — what about sitting in your car?) Not to mention the health of the planet… and all that wasted productivity. (Robin Chase, one of the founders of ZipCar, said, “The car dominated city as reached its zenith.”)

The government is part of the mix, but there are a lot of players — a lot of transit is governed by a government organization, but there are so many players — drivers, bikers, engineers, politicians. (There was much discussion of European models where there is a goal — spoken or unspoken — of eliminating the need for cars. Call me skeptical but it is hard for me to imagine that in the US… Worth watching — Atlanta has created a regional transportation authority — ATL — that is meant to pull the desperate government pieces together. There will definitely be lessons from the ATL experience.)

The opportunities feel real — There does feel like an alignment of planets where changes can happen. And you are seeing it happen already around the world — even here in the US where there are people who are shifting to cities because they don’t want to own a car — and these days, they have options… many options. And we have seen change coming faster than we ever imagined. Who would have guessed the spread of “ride sharing” or taxi hailing apps like Uber and Lyft would become so ubiquitous so quickly — and so utterly disrupt the taxi industry? Jack Opiola, Transportation Consultant noted the idea seemed unthinkable not long ago, but times have changed.

Driverless cars could be heaven – or hell — Everybody is watching what comes of driverless cards. Among these transportation experts, there was a general assumption that is will be here — and sooner than we think.

h/t Dr. Kari Watkins

But there is the very real possibility that, if truly driverless cars become a reality, then the roads could be packed with even more vehicles — and people who don’t care how long their commute takes because they are able to work in their self-driven car.

First mile – last mile — One of the real challenges is what transportation experts call the “first mile – last mile” — that is how does one get from “point A” to their transportation — and from where the transportation method drops a person off to get to “point B.”

One Asian city has been able to transform a roadway to a open area where people can visit. (h/t Robin Chase)

So… day two of GovLoop Insight’s DorobekINSIDER. Thanks so much for being here.

Here is what we have for you today…

* We all remember tag — we all played it as kids. But what if the technologies of the Internet and the networked world could be brought to the game of tag. The TAG Challenge is going to be testing that concept later this month. And this challenge is being made possible by a State Department grant. You’ll learn about this innovative new program.

** You face big problems. How would you like to be able to tap the best minds to help solve those problems — or at least move the ball down the field. We’ll tell you about Fuse Corps…. we’re going to talk to Peter Sims, the author of the DorobekINSIDER Book Club book, Little Bets… he’s the man behind this program and we’ll get details…

** AND… feds, you have a TSP account? We’re going to have the DorobekINSIDER exit interview with the man who has kept you informed about what was going on with your Thrift Savings Plan account… he has just retired. We’ll talk to Tom Trabucco.

After the break… some updates on yesterday’s program… and the stories that impact your life for Tuesday 6 March 2012… the government world in 120-seconds…

Nicholas has just passed 9-months. And it has been an amazing nine months. There are challenges, mind you — many of us are used to fixing problems, and with a child, you quickly learn that it isn’t always possible to fix those issues.

When I left the afternoon show, I promised that I wasn’t going to disappear. And I haven’t. But I’m really excited about what I’m doing now.

As you know, my mission is summed up in six word: Helping government do its job better. And I work to do that… through this blog, through audio and video content… through events… and I now am going to be working with GovLoop. I have been doing these Friday weekly reviews for several months now. And we will continue to focus on the issue of the week on Fridays. But there will be more: the DorobekINSIDER program will also be here each weekday.

Our goal is to post by noon ET — you can stream us at lunch, so while you’re feeding your body, you can also have some food for thought.

The program will be similar to my former radio show: A mix of news and newsmakers, innovators, thought leaders, books… and even some off the wall kind of stories. We will focus on leadership, technology, acquisition, policy, pay and benefits and your career. Yes, we’ll occasionally have somebody who just blows your socks off… but we’ll also have those “boring but important” stories — our vegetables that are so important to our thought diet. But we’ll also have some fun. (Yes, that too!)

One of my own goals is to challenge myself to find new ways of reporting and telling stories… those stories that help you do your job better. And I think GovLoop is the perfect partner in that quest.

While the GovLoop Insights DorobekINSIDER program will be similar to my former program, there will be several significant differences. First, we aren’t slaves to a clock. If a conversation is going really well, we’re going to keep going. There is no need to hit news at the top of the hour… or weather and traffic, for that matter.

But the most significant difference is GovLoop. We are working to integrate DorobekINSIDER content into GovLoop in a number of ways. The most significant: We are hoping to crowdsource the production of a radio program. We are going to be as transparent as possible — and what we are working on (and why)… about the questions we plan to ask. And we hope that you will be involved. Is there an issue that we should cover? Are there questions we should ask? Is there a challenge you are facing?

We are also working to integrate content across GovLoop’s communities. If we do an interview with somebody, we hope you will offer your thoughts, insights and analysis to the discussion.

If you have ideas about how we can do that, let us know. To put it simply: We don’t have all the answers. And we do believe that all of us are smarter then each of us individually.

We will also be using some of the awesome GovLoop content as fodder for this program — so keep up the good work.

Many things will not change. This is journalism — and it will continue to be. There are always questions about why somebody covered something in a certain way. If you have those questions, ask us. We actually love those questions.

We will also post each interview individually on DorobekINSIDER — along with the relevant links where you can get more information… and to the community on GovLoop where the discussion is happening. And there will be highlights of those interviews in the community sections. It sounds more complex then it is.

And, of course, we’ll be on all the platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Google+. Yes, even LinkedIN. Find those links here.

The team

I have an awesome team working with me on the program. Emily Jarvis is the producer of the program. Emily was my producer for my WFED program. She is one of those young people who educates me. She is smart and passionate — and always eager to learn. She can be reached at ejarvis@dorobekinsider.com.

And Stephen Peteritas, who has been producing the Friday Issue of the Week program, is still part of the team. He is working to integrate content throughout GovLoop. Stephen can be reached at stephen@govloop.com.

Finally, a few words of thanks… to Scott Burns, the CEO of GovLoop’s parent company, GovDelivery… to Steve Ressler, the founder of GovLoop… and to Doug Mashkuri, GovLoop’s director of business development. I have known each of them for years. I had many options about my next steps — and I selected GovLoop because of their vision for this platform… and the fact that they share my passion about those six words: Help the government do its job better. I’m thrilled to be working with them.

I’m so excited about this. I often tell people that I am the luckiest person on the planet. I love what I do every day. I get to help smart people tackle big challenges.

And I think these are remarkable times. Yes, in some ways they are very difficult times — and you know that. But they are also amazing times. And you can do amazing things.

Change is never easy. So it is with some trepidation that I decided to leave Federal News Radio 1500 AM.

Not to worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’m still going to in this market — and I do have plans. I’m not really going anywhere. I’ve been covering the issues facing government agencies for a very long time — and I plan on continuing doing this for a very long time.

There are a couple of reasons for the change. First off, in case you don’t know, I am going to be a father very soon and I want time to spend time with my new baby boy. For me, this is a once in a life opportunity and I am blessed to have the opportunity to spend some time with my son.

Beyond that, I also am looking for new opportunities to grow… to innovate… to create — and producing a radio show each day leaves little time for anything else.

I do have plans. Not all of them are fully locked down, so I hope you’ll give me some time to do that. I will share them as soon as I can.

I can say that the DorobekINSIDER will continue at DorobekINSIDER.com. (If you found the DorobekINSIDER through Federal News Radio’s Web site, that will change in the weeks ahead.)

I’m hoping to create a platform that uses all kinds of platforms. But, as always, my mission can be found in eight words: Help the government accomplish its mission more effectively. That won’t change.

I’ll continue to be around… in fact, I hope to be around MORE…

As we say in radio, stay tuned!

A huge thanks to the people at Federal News Radio, who took a print guy and taught him radio. In particular, Francis Rose, Amy Morris, Julia Ziegler and WTOP’s Judy Taub, all of whom have been real mentors in the art of sound. UPDATED: Trying to write quickly, I forgot two essential people to thank. First, Lisa Wolfe, the program director for Federal News Radio. She gave me this great opportunity — and I simply cannot thank her enough for that. With key hires of experienced people who have covered the federal government, Federal News Radio has become a player — and quickly.

Finally, at Federal News Radio, I somehow forgot to thank Mike Causey. Causey is, quite simply, a legend. He has been a mentor to so many journalists — and he shows us how it is done each and every day. I have worked with him twice now… and it is nothing short of an honor.

It has also been an honor to be associated with WTOP. Jim Farley, WTOP’s vice president of news and content, had the idea for a Web radio station that would cover feds. A decade ago and the site has evolved into Federal News Radio. Farley is so passionate about making WTOP the information resource for Washington, it is simply infectious. He is, quite simply, the best.

I also have to thank John Meyer, director of Digital Media for WTOP and Federal News Radio. He has been with Federal News Radio from the start — and always saw a future.

Thanks to all for their help.

And to all of YOU — for listening… for reading… for helping… for doing what you do… Thanks so much.

In the first week of the new year, we looking back – and look forward… by looking at what you determined were the big stories.

All week, I’m highlighting the most read items across Federal News Radio’s programs. Yesterday, I posted the 100 most read items on the DorobekINSIDER. Tomorrow, we’ll post the most read items for the Federal Drive; Thursday for FederalNewsRadio.com; and Friday for In Depth.